Water-wheel



C. A. OLCOTT. WATER WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1920.

1,3?" 3,2 6.0. Patented Mar 29, 1921. I

V H I H i l mu 11111;; x 19 Y J; l- "1, H I H" =2 9 20 14 l4 0. ii a a 2 2 V 5 F I I I A! a f 9 v) "Wm" v) 8 r f 7 INVE/VTUH can/ass 4. OLC or r 4 yim A TTORNEYS CHARLES A. OLGOTT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO S. S. HEPWORTH COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, 1\T. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WATER-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pagtgntgfl; E131 2%, 1921,

Application filed May 29, 1920. Serial No. 385,298.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. OLco'rr, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and. State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vater-Vhcels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to water wheels, and )articularly to a governor device therefor.

he object of my invention is to provide a simple and eflicient governor centrifugally operated to control one or more of the jets which impel the water wheel.

In the accompanying drawings Figure .1 is a plan view of a governor device in which my invention is illustrated in connection with an impulse wheel for driving a centrifugal; and

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation thereof.

In water wheels of the type to which this invention relates, a plurality of impulse jets discharges against the buckets or paddles of the water wheel to drive the latter. Certain of these jets are used primarily as accelerators to bring the motor up to speed, after which they are not required to main tain the drive, and are cut off. The object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugally operated cut-off, and inasmuch as the invention relates to this feature alone, I have illustrated only so much of an installation as is requisite for thispurpose.

Referring to the'drawings, I have shown the water wheel 5 mounted on the vertical spindle 6 of a centrifugal, which is support ed by a bearing 7 of the general type shown in the Mackintosh Patent No. 1,321,767, dated November 11, 1919. Against the cups 8 of the water wheel the impulse jets are discharged as usual through nozzles 9, only one of which is shown. This jet may be used merely to accelerate the pick-up of the motor. In the feed pipe 10, leading to the jet nozzle 9, is arranged a valve 11 of anysuitable construction.

On the upper end of the driven shaft 6 is arranged a spider 12, secured to the spindle 6 in any suitable way, as by means of a key 13. Moving freely between the parallel legs 14 of the spider on opposite sides of the shaft, are blocks 15 restrained against outward movement by springs 16 of predetermined or adjustable strength. Surrounding the spider and spaced therefrom is a ring 17 held coaxial with the shaft 6 bya flange 18, and having a lug 19 connected'by a link 20 with the lever 21 for controlling the valve 11.

The operation of the device is as follows: In the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 1, the valve 11 is open and the water jet is delivered through the nozzle 9 to the buckets 8 of the impulse wheel, thus assisting the other jets (not shown) in driving the motor wheel. As soon as speed is picked up and the shaft 6 has attained a predetermined R. P. M., the centrifugal force er;- erted upon the friction blocks 15 forces the latter outward into engagement with the ring 17. The direction of rotation of the motor being that indicated by the arrow 22, the ring 17 is shifted clockwise until halted by the impingement of the lug 19 against the stop 23. This angular movement is transmitted through the link 20 of the valve lever 21, thus shutting the valve and cutting off the jet at nozzle 9. The wheel is therefore now driven only by the remaining jets (not shown), and its speed under the decreased power applied thereto, is such that the blocks 15 are retracted by the springs 16 out of contact with the ring 17 The particular operating connection between the valve and the governor may be varied in many ways. I have shown only the simplest form of connection. An obvious modification is a spring-closed valve controlled by a trip which is operated by the movement of the ring 17. Or the ring itself may be omitted and the trip lever be arranged in the path of the blocks when the latter are thrown out-ward a suflicient distance under centrifugal action. The particular construction of the spider and centrifugal elements 15 may be varied in many ways which are obvious to those dealing with the problem, without departing from what I claim as my invention.

I claim- 1. The combination with a water wheel, of an impulse jet, a rotor driven by the water wheel, a centrifugal member operatively associated with said rotor, and means frictionally engaged and operated by said centrifugal member for controlling the im pulse jet.

2. The combination with a water wheel, of an impulse jet, a rotor driven by the water wheel, a pair of rotating blocks outwardly displaced by centrifugal action and driven by said rotor, a friction ring adapted to be engaged and displaced by said blocks, and

means operatively connected to said ring for a controlling the impulse jet.

3. The combination With a Water Wheel of an impulse jet, a feed pipe leading thereto, a valve in the feed pipe, a rotor driven by the Water Wheel, a pair of rotating blocks said ring for controlling the valve in the feed pipe.

4. The combination With a Water Wheel, of an impulse jet, a rotor. driven by the Water Wheel, a member driven by said rotor and outwardly displaceable by centrifugal action, a friction ringadapted to be engaged and displaced by said centrifugal member and means connected to said ring for controlling the impulse jet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES A. OLCOTT. 

